Michael Coombs and Peter Kakos acquire franchise rights of Atlas Lower North Shore and Atlas Byron Bay.
The Announcement:
Atlas Lower North Shore and Atlas Byron Bay are set to continue their incredible momentum with one of Australia’s top prestige agents, Michael Coombs, and experienced real estate executive Peter Kakos, securing the franchise rights of the offices.
As a founding partner of Atlas, when the LJ Hooker Group established the brand in 2021, Mr Coombs played a significant part in the company’s growth.
Late last year, the company announced it would franchise the brand to scale it in select markets across Australia.
For Mr Coombs, the opportunity to take ownership of the franchise was the next logical step.
Having Mr Kakos as a business partner and Managing Director of Atlas Lower North Shore and Atlas Byron Bay made it even more appealing.
“The business is personally exciting for me, and being backed by such an experienced and innovative company in the LJ Hooker Group made this opportunity a very natural decision,” said Mr Coombs.
“I always want to be part of something that’s evolving, innovating and moving in the right direction, and, with Atlas as a very sleek, boutique brand and a great business with great people in it, it’s doing just that.”
Mr Kakos said in any business partnership, the importance of having a shared vision, complementary skill sets and solid values and principles are of utmost importance.
“Michael and I have worked together previously, and this sentiment strongly aligns us,” he said.
“We have always spoken about creating a business where we can aspire for our team and clients to have meaningful and fulfilling lives, and we look forward to doing just that at Atlas.”
All current agent teams and property managers will remain with the office under Mr Coombs and Mr Kakos’s leadership.
“We’re a high-performance team, and, for most of us, we’ve been working together for years.
We have great camaraderie and a commitment to Atlas.
I’m looking forward to creating our future together,” Mr Coombs said.
A significant focus of Mr Coombs and Mr Kakos will be the well-being of their team, with significant investment in mentoring, mindset, health, and fitness.
They are confident that their business will grow significantly while maintaining this balance.
Mr Kakos said while they are laser-focused on growth, he will ensure that the service and outcomes they provide vendors stay the same.
“And that is the six-star service for which Mike and the whole team are synonymous,” he said.
“We will be adding to the key suburbs we already operate in as we look for like-minded, growth-oriented agents who would like to work in a high-performance environment while valuing a strong culture built on collaboration, transparency and fun!”
Commenting on the growth, Mr Coombs said he established a presence in Byron Bay several years ago because he was referring many of his Sydney clients to the area.
“The region, with its world-class beaches and lifestyle, is very appealing so to assist buyers and sellers in their hometown of Sydney and their destination of choice, Byron, was a natural progression.
“It’s similar to Atlas’ connection to the LJ Hooker network, where I can refer leads and vice versa.
“One of the things I’ve enjoyed being part of is that connection to LJ Hooker, which has been leading the industry and made indelible contributions to Australia for 94 years.”
Christine Mikhael, CEO of the LJ Hooker Group, said to have had Mr Coombs as an Atlas founding partner, and now a franchise owner with two offices, was a sign of the strength and success of the relationship.
“I couldn’t think of two more experienced business minds to take these offices forward.
“We’re looking forward to continuing to build on Atlas and how we can benefit clients with our global thinking and local expertise.”
Nick Georges, Atlas Head of Network, said this is pivotal moment for the brand.
“Mike is one of the country’s top agents and he has built a formidable team and culture within the Atlas Lower North Shore and Byron offices,” he said.
“Peter brings a wealth of industry knowledge and will be able to drive office growth as he’s led some of the best performing agents and brands in the country.
“We’re looking forward to continuing this momentum by partnering with other top operators looking to open Atlas in select markets around Australia.”
Source: LJ Hooker
